


Ghostly Memories

by Meimi



Category: Tales of the Abyss
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-13
Updated: 2013-01-13
Packaged: 2017-11-25 08:45:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/637122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meimi/pseuds/Meimi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Do you remember?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ghostly Memories

Anise's knuckles turned bone white as she gripped the ladder tightly and waited fearfully for the tottering to stop. It wasn't that she was afraid of heights, of _course_ she wasn't afraid of heights. She just didn't like falling. And unlike the last time she had taken a swan dive, there wasn't anyone present to catch her. Well, there _was_ someone present, but it's not like ghosts could catch anything, much less a falling Fon Master. She gently chewed on her bottom lip as the ladder finally stopped shuddering and glanced hesitantly down at the softly glowing apparition who stood below her. He was watching her in that vague way of his, unfocused, only half there really. But then again, it was difficult enough to catch his attention, much less hold it for any given length of time. He just... wasn't there most of the time. In fact, now that she thought about it, Anise was rather surprised that he was still present. Surely he would have wandered off by now. That is what he did, _wander_ aimlessly. Forever perhaps...

But no, that's why she was here in this dusty, moldy old library in the first place. To find a way to set him free... and maybe win back some peace of mind for herself in the process. Someone had to help him, and since she was the only one around whom he would even acknowledge, it fell to her to find a way to _fix_ this horrific situation. Sighing silently, she looked back up at the shelves high above her and took another step up the ladder, biting back a squeak a moment later as it started shaking again. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea in the first place. 

Laughing weakly when the shaking halted again, she glanced back down at him and tried to find something to take her mind off of her imminent splat on the floor. "Do you remember-" but stopped herself in mid-thought and grimaced, reaching up to bop herself on the noggin with her fist. He hadn't been the one at Tataroo Valley, that had been Luke. "Of course you wouldn't, you weren't there. Sorry."

"I..." Anise froze in shock and stared down at him. If getting him to acknowledge her at all was difficult, then getting him to talk was a veritable miracle in and of itself, and yet that's exactly what he was doing right now. Why? "I remember you," he murmured as he turned around, his eyes studying the room as if he were seeing it for the first time. Was he just now realizing where he was? "And the fontech doll."

"Tokunaga," Anise whispered, more to herself than to him.

"That's right," he said softly as he stepped away, peering down the empty stacks as if he were looking for something. What? "You were there with Ion."

Anise couldn't help but smile at the name. He remembered. "You remember Ion."

"Yes," he nodded, his brows drawing together as if in ponderous contemplation before continuing, "You were happy then."

"Yes, we were." She still smiled now, but it was with a pained expression. It hurt thinking about back then, about all they had lost along the way. Too many gone, too many lives ended over such stupid things. They had all been such fools, and she had been one of the worst ones. "Do you remember being happy?" she asked gently, fearing that she already knew the answer.

And she did. "No," he answered simply and shook his head. "He kept that."

"Of course," Anise said hollowly as she was reminded once more of why she was here and why it had to be her. The others couldn't know, they'd never understand. And _they_ would never forgive themselves if they knew of what they had done by just wanting to be happy. She couldn't tell them. She couldn't do that to them. Just knowing for herself was hard enough. 

Because sometimes promises shouldn't be kept. No matter how much anyone might wish for them to be. The costs were too much to bear.

Asch looked up at her solemnly for several moments before turning away from her and fading away. Back to his endless wandering, no doubt.

Daath's most forlorn ghost.


End file.
